The Public Investments Programme covers fixed capital cost expenses, such as real estate purchase, construction and repair of buildings and facilities, procurement and maintenance of laboratories and equipment. It also covers preparation and design expenses for new educational programmes, scientific research strengthening and in general, support to the overall educational policy.

economic recovery, as it includes comprehensive policies to support the creation of sustainable jobs

active inclusion in the labour market, including the inclusion of vulnerable social groups

the improvement of the efficacy of the Greek educational system

the matching of education, training and lifelong learning with the labour market, with the main aim of limiting and/or eliminating the social consequences of the crisis and/or minimising the cost of high unemployment.

Private expenditure on education covers educational services provided by private schools, operating in parallel to state Primary and Secondary Schools. It also covers educational services provided by private tutorial institutions offering parallel teaching of school subjects, foreign language courses and other activities, as well as educational services provided by instructors employed by the family for additional teaching.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), pursuant to article 16 of the Constitution, are self-governed Legal Entities of Public Law, under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs and are financed centrally by the State Budget and the Public Investments Programme on Higher Education. HEIs assume the responsibility to manage the resources deriving from both the state funding and their assets. By a Presidential Decree, based on the opinion of the University Senate, it is possible to set up a Special Legal Entity of Public or Private Law aiming at the effective development and management of HEI assets.

Pursuant to Law 4009/2011, as replaced and amended by Law 4386/2016, every HEI in the context of its strategic planning for achieving its mission and its individual targets, draws up a four-year academic development programme within the foreseen limits of the State Budget and the Public Investments Programme for Higher Education.

As far as the economic part is concerned, plannning agreements of Higher Education Institutions specify the following:

a) operational costs

b) investments

c) personnel of every category.

Higher Education Institutions do not collect tuition fees from their students, by virtue of a constitutional provision, whereby tertiary education in Greece is public and University attendance free of charge.

In the financial year 2016 the following appropriations were earmarked in the Regular Budget to fund Education, at current prices, while actual spending in 2016 is as follows:

TOTAL APPROPRIATION

Year

Regular Budget Expenditure for the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs (in mn. Euros)

The distribution of costs at each educational level is described in more detail below:

I. FUNDING AND BUDGET FOR PRIMARY EDUCATION

For financial year 2016, the following appropriations were earmarked in the Regular Budget to fund primary education, at current prices:

Year

Primary Education, Regular Budget

2016

1,414,905,000

Source: Ministerial Decision No. F.1/384/198362/Β1/07-12-2015 ("67Χ34653ΠΣ-ΦΞΔ"&page=0 ) "Appropriations of Regular Budget funds of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs for the fiscal year 2016".

II. FUNDING AND BUDGET FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION

For financial year 2016, the following appropriations were earmarked in the Regular Budget for funding secondary education, at current prices:

Year

Secondary Education, Regular Budget

2016

1,542,996,000

Source: Ministerial Decision No. F.1/384/198362/Β1/07-12-2015 ("67Χ34653ΠΣ-ΦΞΔ"&page=0 ) "Appropriations of Regular Budget funds of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs for the fiscal year 2016".

III. FUNDING AND BUDGET FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

In the financial year 2016, the following appropriations were earmarked, at current prices, in the Regular Budget to fund tertiary education (Universities and Technological Education Institutions):

Year

Higher Education, Regular Budget

2016

819,842,000

Source: Ministerial Decision F.1/384/198362/Β1/07-12-2015 ("67Χ34653ΠΣ-ΦΞΔ"&page=0 ) "Appropriations of Regular Budget funds of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs for the fiscal year 2016".

IV. FUNDING AND BUDGET FOR LIFELONG LEARNING

In the financial year 2016, the following appropriations were earmarked, at current prices, in the Regular Budget to fund lifelong learning:

Year

Lifelong Learning, Regular Budget

2016

10,695,000

Source: Ministerial Decision No. F.1/384/198362/Β1/07-12-2015 ("67Χ34653ΠΣ-ΦΞΔ"&page=0 ) "Appropriations of Regular Budget funds of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs for the fiscal year 2016".

Early Childhood Education and Care provided by the municipal Child and Infant/Child Centres, as well as by respective private structures, falls outside the limits of the system of compulsory education. For the purposes of financing the salaries of the personnel employed at municipal nurseries, as well as covering their operating expenses, eligible Local Government Bodies of degree A are granted a monthly regular grant from the Ministry of Interior Affairs. The exact amount is formed on an annual basis depending on the amounts available for distribution.

A particularly important programme in the field of Early Childhood Education and Care is “Harmonisation of Family and Professional Life” of the Operational Programme “Human Resources Development”. This provides care to infants, toddlers, children and adolescents with disabilities in corresponding structures, which may belong to both municipalities and public and private sector legal entities and businesses in the private sector or non-profit companies. The aim is to facilitate the access of benefiting mothers to employment and have their family and professional lives harmonised, by providing care services for children and dependents.